1. The Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to exercise equipment and, more specifically, to exercise devices that provide aerobic and anaerobic activities.
2. The Prior State of the Art
In the field of exercise equipment, a variety of devices have been developed to strengthen and condition muscles commonly used for a variety of activities, including both anaerobic and aerobic activities. Generally speaking, anaerobic activities include activities that require voluntary acting muscles to flex a significant amount during a relatively small number of repetitions, such as while engaging in strength training, e.g., with free weights or an exercise device having a cable-based resistance system. Exercise devices that enable anaerobic exercise include weight systems that provide one or more exercises based on a common resistance mechanism, such as one or more handles or bars coupled to a weight stack or other resistance mechanism via a cable-based system having one or more cables and pulleys.
By contrast, aerobic activities include activities that are designed to dramatically increase heart rate and respiration, often over an extended period of time, such as running, walking, and swimming for several minutes or more. Aerobic conditioning devices that simulate such activities have typically included treadmills, stepping machines, elliptical machines, various types of sliding machines, and so forth.
Recently, elliptical machines have proven especially popular for allowing a user to perform aerobic ambulatory exercises (e.g., walking or running) with moderate to significant intensity, while at the same time providing low impact to the user's joints.
Unfortunately, present exercise systems are generally configured for only one of anaerobic exercises and aerobic exercises, but not for both. This can create a tension for a user since both anaerobic and aerobic exercises can be important components of an exercise regimen. The tension can be heightened since anaerobic and aerobic exercise systems each separately take up a certain amount of space that a user may want to devote to other items, and since each such exercise system can be relatively expensive. Accordingly, a user may be reluctant to purchase both types of individual exercise systems due to any number of cost and space constraints.
As a result, a user may purchase only one type of exercise system, but then forego the benefits of the alternative exercise activities. This is less than ideal for users who desire to implement a complete workout regimen. Alternatively, the user may purchase only one type of exercise system, but then purchase an additional membership to a workout facility to exercise on other apparatuses in different ways. This is less than ideal at least from a convenience standpoint.
Accordingly, an advantage can be realized with exercise apparatuses that can provide the benefits of multiple types of exercises in a convenient and cost-effective manner.